Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Lebanon Circle Magic

Please join me in welcoming our newest sponsor, Lebanon Circle Magic. I've mentioned a few times in passing that I'm an amateur magician, with a heavy emphasis on the "amateur" part. That, and my fondness for the Mythos, is why I find Lebanon's "A Book at Midnight" so interesting. It's a Lovecraftian illusion that embraces storytelling in place of sleight of hand, but that doesn't make it any less impressive.

Lebanon Circle proudly presents - 'A Book at Midnight', a collaboration between Dan Baines and magician Ian Harvey. This is a self working baffling effect that is so simple to perform it almost feels like real magic! The mechanics are invisible and foolproof, no gimmicks, no stacked decks, no memory work - just a great story and the imagination of your audience. Transport two minds back in time to the same place, make them hear the same sounds, see the same things. Is it a demonstration of hypnosis? Time travel? Or psychic synchronicity? You decide but either way your audience will be driven to insanity trying to figure this one out!

"A Book at Midnight" is a bit of a departure from the props normally featured here. I like it because it's exactly the kind of mechanically simple, but visually impressive illusion that's fun for both the audience and the performer. It doesn't hurt that it features some very nicely done physical components. I would also suggest wandering through some of their other offerings on the site. You'll find some interesting Lovecraftiana as well as offerings of a more outré nature.

2 comments:

JR
said...

I've had an interest in stage magic from childhood and know enough slight-of-hand to impress small children (and small children only!)

I ran across some old books at a thrift store a few weeks back that give details about classic stage magic apparatus, including the history of a multi-generation family of magicians called the Bambergs. Seeing how many of these tricks were performed is amazing and knowing the "secret" behind them has actually increased my admiration of those who put them together.

You're likely a better magician than me. Heh. I accidently sliced my right index finger years ago and lost feeling in the fingertip. That pretty much put the kibosh on my already weak manipulation skills.

I've always been fascinated by the commentaries written by skilled magicians about other performers. At that level the mechanics are a trivial concern. It's all presentation and showmanship.

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What's All This?

Propnomicon focuses on horror and fantasy props of interest to fans of H. P. Lovecraft and players of the "Call of Cthulhu" role playing game. That includes items directly inspired by Lovecraft's writing, DIY information for creating your own works, printable paper props, and source materials related to the 1920's and 30's, the "classic era" of the Cthulhu Mythos. Beyond that, the proprietor of the blog also enjoys pulp action stories, classic supernatural horror, mad science, and the occasional foray into more modern interpretations of the Mythos.